Devil's Army

After the First Army's Air Force bombed the Japanese artillery, it continued to chase and bomb the fleeing Japanese infantry.

Japanese infantry had to start getting used to avoiding air raids.

After the First Army's planes returned, the Japanese army gathered again and prepared to launch an attack on the Hutuo River railway bridge.

At this time, the Second Battalion of the Second Regiment was also ordered to come to reinforce.

"Captain Wang, this is your relative, Commander Wang of the Independent Regiment of the Jizhong Military Region of the Eighth Route Army."

"Hello, Captain Wang!" The second battalion commander greeted Captain Wang.

"Hello, are you the vanguard of the Second Brigade?"

"No, we are from the 2nd Regiment of the 6th Brigade."

At around 36: p.m., the artillery of the th Division of the Japanese Army arrived at the designated position and began to launch a fierce bombardment on the positions of the Devil Forces on the south bank of the Hutuo River.

After the artillery bombardment, the remaining soldiers of the 101st Battalion of the st Division of the Japanese Army began to attack the Hutuo River Railway Bridge.

In order to recover from the failure in the morning, the Japanese battalion commander frantically asked the soldiers to launch a continuous attack on the railway bridge. Other soldiers shot at the devil troops on the other side of the river.

The Second Battalion of the Second Regiment, which came to reinforce, also deployed along the river and fired at the Japanese troops on the opposite bank.

As an infantry unit of the Japanese 36th Division joined the battle, the positions of the st and nd Battalions on the south bank of the Hutuo River began to become increasingly passive.

The Eighth Route Army's Hebei-Central Military Region Independent Regiment, which was waiting in the rear, also joined the battle.

While commanding the battle, Captain Wang asked a battalion commander:

"Didn't you say that the troops from your Second Brigade are already here? When will they arrive?"

"I don't know, but this railway bridge is so narrow that it is not suitable for a large army to pass through. I guess our Second Brigade will definitely cross the river from the shallows. Do you know where there is a shallow nearby?"

"Less than ten kilometers down here, there is a wider river, which is suitable for crossing the river."

The artillery fire of the Japanese 36th Division was far more powerful than that of the 101st Division.

The soldiers of the First Army and the Eighth Route Army on the south bank of the Hutuo River suffered heavy bombardment, and the number of casualties rose sharply.

The artillery of the Second Regiment was also suppressed by the Japanese artillery fire and was unable to provide effective support.

While the Second Regiment of the First Army and the Independent Regiment of the Eighth Route Army were struggling to resist the Japanese attack, the artillery units of the 36th Division of the Japanese Army on the north bank of the Hutuo River were attacking the infantry units of the 36th Division of the Japanese Army on the south bank of the Hutuo River. The infantry units of the 101st Division of the Japanese Army were also under fierce attack at the same time.

The vanguard regiment of the Second Brigade successfully crossed the Hutuo River from the shallows and launched a full-scale attack on the Japanese army from the north bank.

The two Golden Eagle IV drones in the air also chased the Japanese artillery and machine gun fire points and fired fiercely.

After a brief period of confusion, the Japanese division commander, Ichiro Nanada, began to adjust his deployment to resist the attack of the Second Brigade from the north bank of the Hutuo River, with a focus on strengthening the defense of the artillery positions.

The battle between the 1st Regiment of the 2nd Brigade and the Japanese army north of the Hutuo River was temporarily deadlocked.

The deadlock was broken with the arrival of the 2nd Brigade's artillery units.

The artillery of the Second Brigade brought five 150mm howitzers and five 75mm small artillery pieces, and under the guidance of the artillery of the Second Regiment, carried out a devastating bombing on the Japanese artillery positions.

The artillery positions of the Japanese 36th Division were suddenly filled with explosions and thick smoke. Parts of the artillery and trucks were scattered all over the ground.

After destroying the Japanese artillery positions, the 36nd Brigade's heavy artillery continued to fiercely bombard the Japanese 101th Division Infantry and the Japanese st Division Infantry that were attacking the south bank.

The infantry of the Japanese 36th Division and the 101st Division suffered heavy casualties after being subjected to fierce bombardment by a brigade of heavy artillery, and were forced to evacuate their positions on the north bank of the Hutuo River.

The soldiers of the Second Regiment of the Second Brigade who arrived later quickly crossed the Hutuo River railway bridge and, together with the regiment that had crossed the river earlier, launched a fierce attack on the retreating Japanese troops on the north bank.

The Japanese troops took turns covering their retreat, and the soldiers of the Second Brigade pressed forward step by step.

At this time, the Japanese army still had a superior force. When the Japanese army tried to rebuild the defense line to resist the attack of the 1st and 2nd Regiments of the 2nd Brigade, the commander of the 1st Regiment immediately called on the artillery of the 2nd Brigade to extend the fire and destroy the newly built defense line of the Japanese army.

The Japanese army had to continue retreating.

When the Japanese army retreated to Shenze County, some soldiers withdrew into the county and joined the defenders of Shenze County to block the attack of the devil troops.

Another part of the troops withdrew to Gao County and controlled the road to Shijiazhuang.

This battle once again demonstrated the importance of the Hutuo River Railway Bridge. Deputy Brigade Commander Dai of the Second Brigade pushed the defense line northward to the outskirts of Shenze County.

Brigade Commander Dai arranged a battalion to dig trenches and set up defensive positions at the confluence of two rivers in Shenze County, where there were dams and lush trees.

It was also required that anti-gun holes be dug on the reverse slope of the trench to prevent Japanese artillery fire.

The battalion commander stationed here also moved the guard post two miles north to the woods, arranging two groups of visible sentries and two groups of covert sentries.

As soon as the Japanese troops in the direction of Shijiazhuang made any movement, a battalion commander outside Shenze County would immediately know about it.